The cosmetic appearance of fingernails has long been a matter of concern to consumers. Nails (hereinafter finger nails and toe nails) can become discolored through the use of adhesives for attaching artificial nails or the extensive use of deep red nail polish. In addition, coffee, cigarettes, certain medications, hair coloring products, fruit or vegetable pigments, and the use of harsh chemicals in the home, may also leave the nail undesirably discolored, such as yellow and uneven in color.
Products are available on the market that coat the nail with a nail polish of a slight violet tinge to counteract the discoloration of the nail. However, just like nail polish, these products have limited durability, require frequent reapplication, and function only to mask the nail problem, not to correct it.
In addition, home bleaching remedies are also known. These remedies use oxidizing agents, such as hydrogen peroxide. However, a solution of hydrogen peroxide is usually unstable, requiring lowering its pH. Furthermore, these compositions do not disperse effectively on the nail, thereby lacking an adequate contact between the hydrogen peroxide composition and the stained nail.
Additional products are available for application to nails. One such product is sold under the name Nail SOS® Bleach. It is a water based composition containing sodium hypochlorite, a component of household bleach, potassium hydroxide, Carbomer and a fragrance. While it is thickened, it tends to drip and is slow to dry. Furthermore, it has a strong, unpleasant odor.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,888,483 and 5,935,557 provide compositions comprising about 0.01 weight percent to about 10.0 weight percent stabilized hydrogen peroxide, a pH adjusting agent in an amount sufficient to maintain the cosmetic composition at a pH of from about 6 to about 9, a buffer, and water. As these compositions contain a majority of water, they also lack adequate contact with the nail necessitating repeated applications.
An additional problem with these compositions is that the composition is on the surface of the nail and might be transferred through simple contact to articles of clothing, thereby potentially causing staining of the clothes.
Accordingly, a need exists for nail bleaching product that effectively bleaches and removes nail discolorations in a clean, easy and non-transferable manner.